Review By Veronica
The Maid is an unputdownable brilliant, charming mystery read.
Favourite Quote:
“I am your maid. I know so much about you. But when it comes down to it: what is it that you know about me?”
Goodreads Synopsis:
Molly Gray is not like everyone else. She struggles with social skills and misreads the intentions of others. Her gran used to interpret the world for her, codifying it into simple rules that Molly could live by.
Since Gran died a few months ago, twenty-five-year-old Molly has been navigating life’s complexities all by herself. No matter—she throws herself with gusto into her work as a hotel maid. Her unique character, along with her obsessive love of cleaning and proper etiquette, make her an ideal fit for the job. She delights in donning her crisp uniform each morning, stocking her cart with miniature soaps and bottles, and returning guest rooms at the Regency Grand Hotel to a state of perfection.
But Molly’s orderly life is upended the day she enters the suite of the infamous and wealthy Charles Black, only to find it in a state of disarray and Mr. Black himself dead in his bed. Before she knows what’s happening, Molly’s unusual demeanor has the police targeting her as their lead suspect. She quickly finds herself caught in a web of deception, one she has no idea how to untangle. Fortunately for Molly, friends she never knew she had unite with her in a search for clues to what really happened to Mr. Black—but will they be able to find the real killer before it’s too late?
There has been a lot of hype around this book on social media. I decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about. I was instantly intrigued by the synopsis and was in the mood for a good mystery book, so I picked it up. The Maid is worth all the hype it has been getting. It is well written, and Nita did an excellent job creating a thoughtful and entertaining plot. I must warn you that this is one of those books that you won’t be able to put down, so you may want to clear any plans you may have when you read this book.
The Maid reminds me of those old mystery/crime shows that I watched on TV with my nan or my parents. It is a clean mystery. And what I mean by this is there isn’t a lot of gore, little to no swearing, and no sex. It’s just a good old fashion mystery read. I like how Molly and her friends worked together to figure out who killed Mr. Black, and as they are trying to uncover one mystery, they realize there are more nefarious things happening at the hotel. It felt like trying to solve a puzzle. There are many twists and turns, and I was not expecting the ending of this book. I yelled out loud, “no way,” which scared the crap out of my cat. She was not too impressed with me.
Molly’s character was really the highlight of this book for me. She is such a unique character, and it was nice to read a mystery book whose main character doesn’t fit into that typical character mold. Molly doesn’t know how to interact with the world around her; she is very socially awkward and cannot read those social cues or situations that many people would be able to understand. This causes a lot of problems for Molly because, as you can imagine, people in this world would take advantage of someone like Molly. There were times that I wished I could step into the book and protect her or help her out. One of the great things about her character is that she reminds readers that we all see and understand the world differently and not assume the worst in a person because of that difference.
If you are looking for a mystery read that will leave you feeling very satisfied, I recommend you read The Maid by Nita Prose.
